“Era Gratitude” Is My Go-To Hack When I’m Feeling Sorry for Myself
Even if everything is going wrong, I can always be thankful that I’m living in the 21st century.
Here are just a few of the things that we get to experience that 99.99% of human civilization didn’t.
Longevity and Low Infant Mortality Rates
A child dying is the most tragic experience imaginable. I am privileged to use the word "imaginable,” as I haven’t experienced it myself.
In fact, I don’t even know anyone who has experienced the loss of a child due to sickness or poor access to medical care.
Thinking of the fact that my children are all alive and well is, in itself, plenty to get me back on track.
Not only are we not losing children, we’re on average living much longer than any other period in history by a long shot.
Freedom of Relationships
For better or for worse, we can find our people in 2023. For most of the human race’s existence, that wasn’t the case.
If you were born into a group of awful, uninteresting people, it was tough cookies.
Now, we have the tools and means to find and engage with likeminded people across the globe.
We have the gift of seeing a wide array of opinions and perspectives (if we choose to, of course).
Transportation
We can go anywhere in the world, and our vehicles don’t poop.
Comfort
Just gonna rattle a few off here:
Clean water at any temperature. Showers. Air conditioning and heating. Comfortable clothes. Toilet paper. Feminine hygiene products. Antiperspirant deodorant. Shampoo and conditioner. Haircuts. Dermatology. Vision services (LASIK, contacts, glasses)
Information and Education
We can learn anything from our phones.
Global Trade
Off-season fruits and vegetables. Oil and gas. Electronics made from metals we could never find locally The list is gigantic.
Leisure Time
The question here becomes, “Does too much leisure time actually make us more happy?"
Either way, we have the ability to have too much leisure time and survive, which hasn’t been the case throughout history.
Safety
Particularly in the workplace, we’re just far less likely to die from an accident or a violent but natural cause (bear attack, etc.)
Modern Medicine
A sub-heading perhaps of comfort, safety, and longevity, we live in an era where we have the privilege of COMPLAINING about vaccinations and a corrupt medical industry. That is for another article, which I will never write, but it’s a stark contrast to the centuries of humanity that simply suffered through pandemics and what would eventually become curable disease.
The list can go on; these are just a few of the things that come to mind.
What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments!
NOTE: This article is by no means intended to belittle the real pains, fears, and anxieties that people are experiencing in 2023, nor does it mean to ignore the impact of race, income, gender, etc. on the standard of living and general comfort of life. It’s intended to add perspective that could help make the problems we face seem less intense. Since I live in the United States and most of my followers are from the US, the UK, and Canada, I’m going to focus mostly on those regions for this article. I understand that many regions are still wildly underprivileged relative to our standard of living.
